Machine for receiving and enclosing bank notes, where information is printed on the inside of a transparent film

ABSTRACT

A banknote handling machine having an infeed part for receiving banknotes deposited by a customer from outside the machine and for identifying the customer, a detector unit for checking the validity of the deposited banknotes, a printing unit for printing information relating to the deposited banknotes and the customer, and a packaging unit for encasing and sealing banknotes suspected of being false in transparent packaging material. Transportation of suspect banknotes to the packaging and printing operations is controlled by a process unit such that customer information and information relating to the suspect banknotes is printed on an inner surface of the transparent packaging material, in mirror-image, in conjunction with operation of the packaging unit to encase and seal the suspect banknotes so that, upon completion, the printed information is properly readable from the outside of the package.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a banknote handling machine and morespecifically to a machine that includes an infeed part for customeridentification and for receiving banknotes deposited by the customerfrom outside the machine, detection means for checking the validity ofthe deposited banknotes, and means for printing information in respectof customer deposited banknotes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Automatic telling machines that are provided with means for detectingfalse banknotes are known to the art. Any false banknote that isdetected is not returned to the depositing customer, but is stored inthe machine and later becomes the subject of a separate investigation.

The procedure undertaken with such an investigation can be relativelycomplicated and tediously long, which makes it difficult to establishthe source of the false banknote, or may make such establishmentimpossible. The object of the present invention is to endeavour toeliminate the aforesaid drawback and other drawbacks, among otherthings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A banknote handling machine of the aforedescribed kind includes aprocess unit which functions to control the transportation of a banknotewhich the detector means suspects to be false, to a separate unit forstoring and encasing, packaging, suspected false banknotes, and alsocontrols means for printing customer related information and informationrelating to any possibly false banknotes detected in conjunction withstoring and packaging the suspected false banknote.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to theaccompanying schematic drawings, in which

FIG. 1 illustrates an inventive banknote handling machine;

FIG. 2 illustrates in somewhat larger scale a unit for storing andpackaging suspected false banknotes included in the machine according toFIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a packaging mechanism included in the machineaccording to FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, itshould be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

The inventive banknote handling machine includes an infeed part 1 and anoutfeed part 2.

The infeed part 1 includes a deposit compartment 10, detector means 11,a process unit 12, a conveyor path 13′−13″−13, first storage means 14,second storage means 15, first stacker means 16, second stacker means17, and a packaging or encasing unit 18.

Banknotes deposited in the machine are bundled and placed into thedeposit compartment 10, possibly in different denominations, saidcompartment accommodating up to 500 banknotes. These banknotes areseparated one after the other and conveyed along an upper conveyor path13′, past the detector means 11 and up to guide means (detectionchanging) 13″, which lead the banknotes down to a lower conveyor path13.

The detector means 11 is placed in the close proximity of the depositcompartment 10 and is adapted to sort false banknotes, poor qualitybanknotes and other banknotes from the arriving banknotes. By sorting ismeant here that passing banknotes are “marked” in some way so thatrespective banknotes can be handled as being “possibly false”, “poorquality” or “accepted” in the subsequent transportation of thebanknotes.

The storage device 14, and also other similar storage devices in themachine, has two belts between which banknotes are stored, a storagedrum 141 and two unwinding drums 142 and 143. The leading edge of abanknote arriving at the said storage device actuates a sensor 144 whichtherewith starts-up three motors which each drive a respective drum141-143. The banknote is drawn about 120 mm in between the belts, whichare together wound-up on the storage drum 141, which can accommodateabout 500 banknotes. As the belts are coiled on the drum, informationrelating to the banknotes is sent to the process unit 12, whereby anaccount can be kept of the sequence between the banknotes. Whenbanknotes are taken from the device 14, impulses are sent to the motorscausing the drums to be driven in opposite directions.

A manipulator 19 provided along the conveyor path close to the storagedevices 14, 15 functions to correct the positions of any banknotes thatmay have been twisted or displaced laterally during theirtransportation.

Each of the stacker device 16, 17 includes a so-called stacker wheelwhich gathers sequentially arriving banknotes into a bundle in a storagecompartments. When the bundle contains the intended number of banknotes,the bundle is clamped by a pair of arms and fed down to the packagingunit 18.

The packaging unit 18 includes two rollers that carry packagin material(plastic material). A banknote bundle to be packaged is drawn down intoa pocket that consists of two plastic strips of the same length andwidth, one from each roll. The plastic strips are pressed togetheraround the bundle and welded along their edges with the aid of aTeflon®-coated heating wire. The reader is referred to U.S. Pat. No.5,031,379 for a more detailed explanation of this known technique.

The process unit 12 controls the transportation of poor qualitybanknotes along the conveyor path 13 to the unit 16-18 for storage andpackaging of these banknotes. This unit is comprised of the stackerdevice 16 and the packaging device 18.

The process unit 12 also controls the transportation of at least some ofthe remaining genuine and accepted banknotes to unit 14-17-18 forstoring and packaging these banknotes in accordance with theirdenominations. This unit is comprised of the storage device 14, thestacker device 17 and the packaging unit 18.

The manner in which the process unit 12 controls the passage ofbanknotes along different parts of the conveyor path 13 to theirdifferent destinations, with the aid of oath selectors, detectors, etc.,is known to the art and will not therefore be described in detail here.

Any suspect banknotes encountered in the detector device 11 can betransported to the stacker device 16 for instance, and from there to thepackaging unit 18 where they are packaged together with an automaticallyprinted receipt that includes the number of banknotes, the date, etc.,and also information relating to the customer depositing the banknotes,e.g. through the medium of an account number. This enables the source offalse or suspect banknotes to be investigated.

FIG. 2 illustrates the stacker device 16 and the packaging device 18 inpositions in which they form the unit 16-18 for storing and packagingsuspected false banknotes. A printing device 181 is provided forprinting directly on the inner surface of packaging material (theplastic strip), in mirror image, customer-related information andinformation relating to encountered suspect banknotes (preferablyseveral such banknotes). Transportation of the banknote (the banknotes)and printing of said information is controlled by the process unit 12.Thus, in the event of detecting several banknotes that are suspected ofbeing false on one and the same depositing occasion, these banknoteswill be collected in one and the same package on which durableinformation disclosing the contents of the package has been printed.

FIG. 3 illustrates the actual packaging mechanism, including the rolls182, 183 of plastic packaging material 184. The ends of the materialtaken from the two rolls are welded together at 185 (after a precedingpackaging operation) and form the bottom of a disposable cassette orpackage for receiving a banknote (banknotes) fed down from above. Theprinting device 181 is mounted above and close to the roll 182 with theprinting head 1811 of said device close to a guide roller 186 and at theupper side of the plastic material 184, this side thus becoming theinside of the package or cassette when a banknote (banknotes) is feddown in between two plastic lengths, one from each roll, and saidlengths are then welded together to form a closed package or cassette.It is important that the print is applied close to the weld join 185.

The invention being thus described, it will be apparent that the samemay be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be recognized by one skilled in the art areintended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A banknote handling machine comprising: an infeedpart for receiving banknotes deposited by a customer from outside themachine and for identifying the customer; a detector unit for checkingvalidity of the deposited banknotes; a printing unit for printinginformation relating to said deposited banknotes and said customer; apackaging unit for encasing and sealing banknotes suspected of beingfalse in transparent packaging material; and a process unit forcontrolling transportation of one or more banknotes suspected of beingfalse by said detector unit to said packaging unit, and for controllingsaid printing unit for printing customer information and informationrelating to the suspect banknotes on an inner surface of saidtransparent packaging material in conjunction with operation of saidpackaging unit to encase and seal said suspect banknotes.
 2. Thebanknote handling machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein said printingunit is adapted to print the customer and banknote information on anupper side of transparent packaging material immediately prior to apackaging operation, said upper side becoming the inner surface of aclosed package produced by said packaging operation such that theinformation is durable and difficult to manipulate unnoticed.
 3. Amethod of handling banknotes in a banknote handling machine comprising,in the following sequence, the steps of: receiving banknotes depositedfrom outside the machine in an infeed part and identifying the customer;checking validity of the banknotes by a detector unit; conveying avaried number of checked banknotes suspected of being false banknotes toa packaging unit for encasing banknotes, said step of conveying beingcontrolled by a process unit; durably printing information relating tosaid customer and said number of suspected banknotes in mirror image onan inner side of transparent packaging material, said printing beingcontrolled by said process unit; and encasing said number of suspectedbanknotes with said printed transparent packaging material to form aclosed package completely sealing said suspected banknotes such thatsaid printed information on the inner side of said transparent packagingmaterial is readable right-way-up from outside said closed package. 4.The method as set forth in claim 3, further comprising, before the stepof printing, the step of farming said closed package by welding twosheets of material at a joint, said printed information being appliedadjacent said welded joint.